A traditional expectation for publicly funded libraries is that they should be institutions where patron records are kept confidential and a standard of privacy is maintained. After the events of 911, methods increasing search and surveillance powers and reducing legal protections were drafted into law as the “Patriot Act.” Searching patron records can be rendered ineffective by library procedures that keep identifiable information to a minimum. Librarians must make responsible collection development decisions while avoiding the pitfalls of censorship. Information has value, and can help or hinder those in the pursuit of goals. Outsourcing collection development decisions is, therefore, not an ideal practice. Librarians should use their training and experience in the selection of information materials.

对公立图书馆的传统期望是，它们应该是对顾客记录进行保密并保持隐私标准的机构。911事件发生后，增加搜索和监视权并减少法律保护的方法被起草为“爱国者法案”。通过将可识别信息减至最少的图书馆程序，可以使搜索顾客记录无效。图书馆员必​​须做出负责任的馆藏发展决定，同时避免审查的陷阱。信息具有价值，可以帮助或阻碍人们追求目标。因此，外包收集开发决策不是理想的做法。图书馆员应利用他们的培训和经验来选择信息材料。